


Doubt thou the stars are fire

by evelitan



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Initial rift between characters, Travel, Work In Progress, inspiration from actual dialogues in the show, not my actual opinion, stereotypes used
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:41:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelitan/pseuds/evelitan
Summary: H.G is back to the Warehouse after the whole ordeal with the astrolobe, but something between Myka and her has changed. Now is time for them to make a decision... and a certain destination will help to either break them or make them a couple.(And just for the fun of it Valda is not dead)





	1. Don't dance on thin ice

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I know I have a lot of stories to update and I'm on it, but while traveling I don't have my computer with me and editing things longer than 2 pages is a nightmare even with a Samsung Galaxy in hand. Anyway, I just couldn't control myself from writing this story. It was supposed to be a one shot fluffy piece, but instead it turned out a bit longer and a bit angsty, well perhaps a lot angsty, but it will have a Bearing and Wells finale so "all is good when it ends good" right?  
> I hope you guys like it and if you do, just give me a kudos or if you feel like it write me a comment and let me know if you'd like to read more (I already have the second chapter written down as well).  
> Thank you for your attention and enjoy!

 

"Aww come on Pete, you promised me!" - Myka said with a voice that sounded disappointed, but bordering on whiny.

  
"I know, I'm sorry Mykes, but Kelly said she wouldn't be able to make our date on Friday so today was the only possible change." -He admitted looking rather guilty.

  
"But tonight is the last show." - Myka pouted.

  
"I promise next time I'll even wear a tux." - He offered with a vague hope of making the situation better. 

Objectively speaking, Pete offering to dress in a tux and tie was nothing short of a miracle, but Myka was not in a mood for objectivity right now.

  
"And why would you need a tuxedo Peter?" - H.G asked curiously, sitting right beside the pair it was impossible not to hear their conversation.

  
"I promised Myka I'd accompany her to the Opera tonight, but Kelly had an emergency last week and then this case happened and we couldn't have our date. And next week she is visiting family, so I wouldn't see her yet again, so that leaves us only tonight as a possible option." - Pete rambled, ever since that whole Emily Lake affair he had gotten much more friendlier with H.G. they even joked lately (which for some reason only annoyed Myka more).

Opposite to what everyone was expecting, Myka was not very happy when Helena returned to work for the Warehouse, two months ago. Even though she had come a long way with Pete and earned the trust of the regents, and Artie's respect, it seemed that Helena had lost something greater, her familiarity with Myka. The younger agent held Helena at an arm's length ever since she came back, she always chose Pete as her partner for missions and if it wasn't a question of life and death she avoided dealing in general with the inventor. At first, everyone was curious to know the reasons behind the sudden change, before the case in Boone, the duo seemed to understand each other with only one look, now Myka even went as far as to change her morning running route in order to avoid a possible encounter with Helena. 

The Brit on her part seemed more hurt than confused of Myka's sudden change of demeanor, but never said a word out loud about it.  
However, when you were stuck in a tin can flying 35,000 feet above the ground for nearly 7 hours (four flying and almost another three waiting for the delayed flight), there was only so much you could pretend not to hear, especially from the people you were sharing seats with.

  
"I'd be happy to step in for Peter tonight, I always enjoyed going to the Opera." - Helena offered looking at Myka.

  
"Oh no, don't worry about it. I'm sure Claudia will be happy to accompany me." - Myka said trying to rush off the offer, but Helena was having none of it.

  
"Bit isn't Claudia still on her mission with Steven, I talked to her this morning and she said they'd be in Florida for at least two more days."

  
Damn it, Myka had forgotten completely that Claudia was putting more hours in the field lately.  
"Silly me, you're right." - Myka said trying to sound dumb for some reason and succeeding it effortlessly.

  
"Really Myka, it's no problem for me to accompany you." -Helena tried again, searching for Myka's gaze.

  
"Actually, my head is killing me, it must be from all the heat in Arizona, so I think it's best to just stay at home tonight. Thanks anyway." - Said Myka avoiding direct contact with the inventor's eyes, who were already betraying the raging emotions behind them.

Helena had been away from the Warehouse, hiding with the astrolobe for eleven months, one week and four days, and she only received a call from the Regents two months ago telling her it was okay to go back and the very next day she walked back through the doors of the B&B. She didn't waste a second of it and booked the first flight back to South Dakota, but even though everyone was glad that she rejoined the team, Myka kept her distance and was even a little colder than Artie when it came to talking to her.  
Not avoiding me my ass Bearing - Thought Helena and Pete looked at her with something akin to compassion in his eyes.  
The three of them were rather quiet for the rest of the flight and as soon as the plane's wheels hit the tarmac, Pete exhaled, happy that the tension between the two women on each of his sides hadn't killed him...yet.

 

  
* _on the next day, 8 am at the B &B*_

Myka tiptoed sleepy around the kitchen with her hair in a messy ponytail. Helena, Pete and her had gotten back to the B&B five hours ago, but for some reason she couldn't fall asleep.

  
"The coffee in the machine is still hot." - said a British voice startling her.

  
"Oh...thanks." - Myka murmured not ever looking up from the cup nestled in her hands.

  
The smell of freshly baked orange marmalade filled croissants had masked the aroma of Earl Grey with milk and honey that Helena securely held in her right hand. Myka usually smelt the cardamom inside the mix from afar and she hated it, but it's smell blending with something that was uniquely Helena was addicting.

  
The older woman seemed to have been up for a while now. In contrast to Myka though, Helena seemed to be fully prepared for the day and save for the yawn that escaped her lips, nobody could tell that she hadn't gotten even a minute of sleep since they returned from the airport.

  
"Ugh, I'm going to need more honey if I intend to function adequately today." -Helena huffed and moved to the shelf where the honey was, just above the coffee machine. Myka always thought Helena's exaggerated consumption of honey was something akin to her addiction to Twizzlers, nobody could come between her and the jar of the ridiculously expensive sicilian lemon honey she had bought herself on the Internet a few weeks ago.  
In the kitchen, Claudia had insisted upon making a shelf only for the different kinds of honey Helena had. The younger redhead had always admired Helena and when the brit rejoined the Warehouse team, two months ago, Claudia was trying to spend as much time as she could with her, so the building the shelf provided the a good excuse for that. Tinkering with the house electronics (and often being scolded by Artie), the two made a great team on their own.

  
So, the honey shelf had almost every type of honey imaginable beginning with the cheapest and most common one made from different flowers and ending with (as stated earlier) ridiculously expensive jars of artesian flavors. Helena loved all honey, except the one made from lavender, for some unexplained reason she hated lavender with passion.  
Back to the present moment, when Helena moved next to Myka and gently brushed her hand with her own, she felt the curly haired agent quickly jump away, as if the contact between then sent a 100 watts through Myka's body.

  
Those little touches were once welcomed and desired, but ever since she came back to the Warehouse, Myka seems to barely tolerate her presence and she avoided touching Helena at any cost. This aversion to make physical contact nearly costed them the last artifact, all because Myka wouldn't give her a hand to support the heavy statue.

  
"Okay, Myka... this needs to stop." - Helena declared with a steady voice.

  
"What needs to stop?" - Myka was playing dumb again.

  
"You act as if I have contracted the measles. You won't even look at me and only speak to me on missions and if there is no other way..." - Helen accused and trailed off with a hurt expression.

  
"You're imagining things Helena." - Myka said in a patronizing voice and the hurtful look on Helena's face got replaced with an indignant one.

  
"Prove me wrong then. I dare you, hug me and I'll admit I was wrong." - Helena narrowed her eyes coyly.

  
"I'm not... this is childish." - Myka huffed.

  
"You are acting like a character from a Bronte novel when we're alone! All gloomy and quiet and cold with me while you are Miss sunshine with everyone else. How am I to understand that Myka? Can't you just talk to me?" - Helena was getting desperate, this conversation was going nowhere.

  
" _Now_ you want to talk!?" - Myka almost shouted.

  
"What's that supposed to mean? I've been trying to talk to you ever since I came back!"

  
"You weren't in the mood to talk when you called me to ask for my help eleven months ago." - Myka matter of factly.

  
"Myka... I..." - Helena tried to put into words everything she wanted to say, everything she rehearsed saying a hundred times in her mind, in front of the bathroom mirror, on the queue at the grocery store...but her voice just wouldn't come out.

  
"Dude, it smells amazing in here!" - Right at this moment, Claudia cheered excitedly as she hopped down the stairs, tumbling directly into the kitchen. The serious conversation was quickly left aside and both women forced small smiles on their faces.

  
"H.G! You're back!" - She said excitably and quickly went over to Helena to give her a hug.

  
"Good morning, darling." - Helena said as she hugged back the redhead.

  
"When did you guys come back?" - Claudia asked as she smiled at Myka.

  
"Around 2:30 but we were very careful not to wake you." - She answered.

  
"Oh don't worry Steve could sleep through a bombing and I fell asleep with my earphones on."

  
"That explains why your ears are red today." - Helena laughed.

  
"Yeah, yeah. In my defense I was trying to get my mind off the evaluation today. I'm a bit anxious." - Claudia admitted as if the other agents didn't know that already.

  
"Was that _today_?" - Myka groaned and rolled her eyes.

  
"Was what today?" - Pete walked into the kitchen right then and went directly to the plate with still warm croissants, grabbing the biggest one and taking a bite from it.

  
"Hey, good morning guys!" - Steve joined the team, chipper as always.

  
"Myka forgot about the evaluation today." - Claudia answered giddily.

  
"I didn't forget." - Myka scolded.

  
"Do we know who is performing it? Maybe we can bargain with them for a postponement." - Helena tried.

  
"No way you're getting out of it. This time it's an external evaluation process. A regent is coming over to asses how we work, individually and as a team, you _can't_ afford to screw up today." - Artie's voice came from the door, surprising everyone since nobody heard him arrive.

  
"Do we know at least who the regent is?" - Pete asked curiously.

  
"Not with certainty no. But, if I had to guess it would either be Kosan or Valda. Mrs. Frederick will attend the evaluation process as well, but I'll repeat, it's in your best interest not to screw up." - He said sternly and everyone was nodding in agreement.

  
This was going to be a long day...

  
And true to what every member on the team was thinking, their day only got worse when Valda stepped into the Warehouse briefing room.  
As per usual, he was dressed in a nice black suit and a white shirt and spoke calmly.

...

Once inside the Warehouse briefing room, the team didn't even have time to ask when the evaluation would begin because a familiar man dressed in a dark suit already stood in front of them. 

  
"Good morning agents. It seems that we'll be spending today together, so if everyone would agree I propose we start with examining your inventory check ups from the last three weeks..." - Valda began explaining the process.

 

  
_*five hours later*_

  
"A dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs, a bloody nose, a black eye, half a dozen bruises each and a sprained ankle! Am I missing something?!" - Artie's yelling vibrated throughout the walls of the B &B.

  
"In which universe is this _an acceptable result_ from training between two agents of the _same_ team?!" - His cheeks were getting redder with each word and a vein prominently stood out on the left side of his forehead.

 

_*two hours earlier*_

"I still don't understand why we have to do this. They've seen our efficiency in the field, they've seen us catalogue the artifacts and deal with emergency goo situations, so why this?" - Claudia babbled as the team made their way to the small gym room at the B&B.

  
"Relax Claudia, when I worked for the secret services we used to have these evaluations much more frequently than here. You are a good agent, nobody doubts that or your place here." - Myka spoke, trying to calm down the younger woman.

  
"Yeah, relax Claud, I promise I'll go easy on you." - Pete said as he stepped beside them.

  
"It wasn't your kenpo skills I was fearing, Pete." - Claudia elaborated giggling when she heard his words.

  
"Don't worry darling, it would be just like when we train together." - Helena spoke gently and Claudia exhaled a little less nervous now.

  
"Agents, thank you for your time today, I'm sure you're eager to go back to your normal working rhythm, so let's make this quick. Each of you will be sparring with each of the others until one of the pair resigns, you can do that with 3 taps on the floor. The agents with fewer losses will finish sparring with each other and with that my work here would be done." - Valda said as he eyed each of the agents standing in front of him.

  
The first pair were Pete and Helena, she of course had no problem with taunting him and using his own force against him and soon he found himself laying on the ground with left arm twisted behind his back, tapping loudly on the floor with his right one. Myka and Steve followed next, the match was interesting to watch, but Myka was much more elastic than he was so in no more than 5 minutes tops, he was on his knees tapping out as well. Pete and Steve were rather equal between themselves, but Claudia bested both of them. The younger agent was getting better and better with each passing day and each training with Helena, she caught the satisfied ghost of a smile on the older woman's lips and felt her chest expand with happiness. That was until it was her turn to go against Myka and Helena themselves. Claudia tapped out in both cases, but she still lasted more than the boys.

  
So here they were...Helena and Myka... Bearing and Wells... standing in the middle of the dusty gym, with fists up and feet at the ready to move.  
At first it didn't seem like a big deal, even though almost every attack was matched and doubled.  
It was right after Helena had lured Myka in a trap, grabbing her own hand and twisting it so she had it around her neck, that Helena whispered something and ignited Myka's fire.

  
Nobody but the curly haired agent heard the soft, but determined "Tap out, darling. I don't want to hurt you." Or the sorrowful look that accompanied it and spoke volumes about much more than their current position.

  
Myka took a quick breath and pulled at Helena's hand with all her force, sending her rolling to the ground right in front of her. The move hurt both of them, but the sound of bones hitting the floor made everyone look at them with wide eyes and stunned expressions and yet that was nothing compared to their faces when a sharp painful hiss from Helena echoed through the air.

  
Neither Myka nor Helena were holding back now, unlike their previous matches, now their attacks weren't meant to miss or just mark.

  
"You've never felt bad about it before." - Myka said coldly and Helena looked more hurt from these words than for the punch she had just received.  
"Stop talking nonsense Myka." - Helena said and lirched forward again, kicking Myka right above her stomach.

  
"So, suddenly saying the truth is viewed as nonsense? You're even worse than before." - Myka said and landed a hit directly on Helena's face. A heartbeat later and a gash appeared on her lips, red blood oozing out of it, dripping on the floor as if it was a lazy rain in march.

  
"Enough!" - Valda shouted from the side, where he was observing the agents.  
Neither woman registered his orders though, not having heard them or nor caring enough about them, their fight continued.

  
"Maybe I am! Maybe I am worse than before, but don't think you haven't changed either Myka. You act as if I have betrayed you when it was you who didn't even bother to welcome me back." - Helena said with an icy voice.

  
"You really are an idiot!" - Myka yelled exasperated and Claudia gasped audibly.

  
"I said enough!" - Valda yelled again, but his words went by ignored as before.

  
"I am an idiot for returning." - Helena said, but it was too late, Myka was already pushing her on the ground.

  
"Why did you return Helena? What did you expect after that last time we saw each other? A hug and a night of braiding our hair?"

  
She wasn't going to allow Helena to sweet talk her way out of this. No, she left and she didn't look back. Helena on the other hand wasn't going to let Myka best her without talking to her.

  
"We are all addicted to something that could ruin us Myka." - Helena said to her as she flipped them over, climbing on top of Myka, as if that answered her question.

  
"And how long before you run away again? A day, a week... a month?"- Myka kicked Helena off of her and both women had grabbed each other by the neck.

  
" **ENOUGH**!" - Mrs. Fredricks' cutting voice echoed harshly around the entire room and it was just then that both Myka and Helena remembered where they are and quickly jumped away for one another.

  
Coughing and panting from exhaustion they looked around the room and saw the rest of their team smittened, looking at them carefully. Pete was confused, Steve was actually trying to avoid eye contact at all coast and Claudia was looking at them with a hurt expression in her eyes. Never in a million years, she thought Myka and H.G could act that way towards each other. The silence that overtook the space around them was not only long and uncomfortable, but also maddening for the two agents that were looking at each other with equal proportions of lust and desire deeply buried behind layers and layers of anger, despair and hurt in their eyes.

 

******END PART I ******

 


	2. Mamma Mia, what an adventure!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello Italy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I am sorry it took so long to update, but taking care of a five-year-old cousin is exhausting, so I decided to make this chapter a bit longer. Gosh, this summer has been crazy, but this story just keeps shaping itself in my head and the best is yet to come! A bit of angst and drama and lots of fuzzy – ish moments :D I will probably post one more chapter to this, or two at most, but we will see. Thank you so much for each comment and kudos! I appreciate your opinions. I hope you guys like this update and if you want, you can always look at the end of the page notes for more clarifications of some elements. P.S There are some stuff in Italian that are written in italic and since it is not my native language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Enjoy!

 

"Agent Bearing, Agent Wells..." -Mrs. Frederick spoke ever so calmly, but with a glacial tone of voice, eyeing each of them as she went.

"You are both free to go clean up and I expect you to come down to the living room in thirty minutes. As for the rest..." - She turned around to look at Pete, Claudia, and Steve. 

"Change back to your working clothes and finish the inventory for the day. The evaluation is over." - The woman concluded with no room left for arguments and even Valda slightly nodded his head in agreement. 

"Half an hour agents." – She repeated and headed back to the B&B. 

 

_*back to the present moment*_

 

 

Artie was walking left and right in front of them, pacing, his steps irregular in tempo, like an enraged overweight bull on the arena, shouting his displeasure and both Helena and Myka looked away from each other not even flinching at his babbling. 

"Myka, I had never seen anyone defend another person as much as you did Helena in the past! You went as far as not only defending her but leaving the Warehouse because of her!"

"And you!" - Artie pointed his finger at Helena who looked at him unamused at the gesture.

"You used your brilliant even though highly unstable and destructive mind to save Myka's life in the Hong Kong sanctuary and many other times!" - He was huffing and his thick eyebrows were scuffed tightly together if it wasn't for his pacing up and down Helen might have thought he was about to faint from all the shouting. 

"And now, after all the misfortunes, when everything is supposed to be good and balanced, you two, the best agents the Warehouse has, are fighting like petulant teenagers! What on God's green Earth is happening here?" 

He was furious, to say the least, the only other time Myka had seen him like that was when she had hidden from him where Helena was (back when she was still the enemy) and maybe a little bit when he found out she had been keeping in touch with her after Dickinson's death.

Helena and Myka were still silent, not willing to even look in the same direction. 

"Arthur, could you leave us alone for a moment?" - Mrs. Frederick's unexpected voice made all three of them jump. That woman would surely give him a heart attack one day. 

"I don't get paid nearly enough to deal with this." - He mumbled under his nose and stepped out of the B&B, going back to the Warehouse no doubt. 

"Myka, Helena..." - Mrs. Frederick spoke slowly acknowledging each woman and making them look at her, just like she did in the gym where Myka had her hand on Helena's throat and Helena had pinned Myka down with her thigh and was twisting painfully her other arm. 

"You two seem to find yourself in a particularly... sticky situation." - She continued.

"Truth be told, the Regents and I are worried about how your current dynamic affects not only the people around you but the artifacts in the Warehouse as well. It is no secret that lately the goo emergencies have augmented and we believe the conflict between the two of you is the main cause since it only happens when you are paired for inventory shift. That is why the Regents requested this evaluation. " - Now the cat was out of the bag.

"I have no problem working with Myka, she, on the other hand, seems to have one working with me." -Helena said offended. 

"I don't have a problem working with Helena either.” – Myka said quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly for it to be actually true.

“I see no reason why my working routines are being questioned here. I always use the same system and protection around the artifacts, yes, the goo emergencies have increased lately, but the Warehouse's structure is pretty old itself." 

Mrs. Fredrick could already feel a budding migraine that was soon about to blossom fully from the way things were going with these two. 

"You seem to forget agent Bearing, that the Warehouse is not a simple building, it’s a living organism. I will not repeat the same things Arthur said before, the same questions everybody around you is thinking since Helena returned two months ago!" - Mrs. Frederick said using a slightly higher voice and the silence that followed in the room was deafening. 

"You have a month to sort out your issue. I will talk with Arthur, it is up to you if you decide to use that month to kill each other or forgive one another for whatever is troubling you." - Before they could protest about it, she continued. 

"Thirty days ladies, not a day more or less... thirty days to find an answer to this… situation." - The older woman spoke and both agents looked at her surprised, perhaps “mess” was a much more suitable description of it.  

"In addition, your teslas and your credentials stay here at the B&B. You have 30 days unpaid leave and after that, I expect either a resignation on my desk or permanent truce between the two of you." 

To describe Helena and Myka as gaping fishes out of a pond would surely not suffice, neither woman ever thought things had been that serious... sure there was the occasional incident or two with an artifact in the Warehouse but... but a thirty day leave in July was a bit extreme. 

"Do you have any questions?" - Mrs. Frederick asked politely again.

"Can we leave the country?" - Helena asked a little worried. 

"As long as you come back when your _unpaid_ leave is up, you can even tour the Moon." 

Hmm... it seemed like Mrs. Frederick had the oddest of timings to make her sarcasm noted, but still, they got the message. 

"Starting from tomorrow, your presence is no longer required at the Warehouse." 

"But then the others will be mad at us! It's summer, after all, I believe Steve and Claudia already had vacation plans." - Myka gasped as she realized the implications of two agents leaving for a whole month, even if it wasn’t exactly for a planned vacation.

"You are all a team Myka, if one is in trouble, you all are and truth be told, I believe your colleagues might appreciate a little calmness. And besides, Steve and Claudia already received your extra vacation days for Christmas, so consider it even." - Mrs. Frederick spoke and turned to the door, ready to leave. 

"Get some ice for those bruises ladies." - That was the last thing they heard before silence filled the space between them once again and there was not a trace left from Mrs. Fredrick’s earlier presence in the room. 

It was uncomfortable and quickly it became unbearable, so Helena decided to woman up speak first.

"So, Myka... do you think we can work this out?" - She asked, carefully guarding the tender spark of hope in her voice. 

"That depends, when are you planning on going to Australia?" - Myka asked bitterly.

"Australia?" - Helena's eyes filled with confusion. 

"Or the North Pole, seeing as the first thing you asked was if you could get away from here, I assume you'd want to run to the opposite end of the Earth." 

"I... Myka, I asked if _we_ could get out of the country, as in both of us. Do not twist my words." - Helena answered angrily, but quickly took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. Anger was the last thing that could help the situation right now. 

"Look, we have a month to sort this out, but I don't want to spend it fighting with you here and going crazy in this little town..." - Helena said in a calibrated voice. She was unsure of her next words, but she continued anyway.

"Come with me to Europe? I um... I have a house there, nothing too fancy, but big enough for two and I believe that a change of scenery might do us good, not to mention a bit of privacy." - Helena said hesitantly looking around them. It was nice to live with your colleagues turned friends, it was definitely practical, but when it came to privacy… that concept was almost non-existent.

The whole topic of having more privacy too was not voiced, but they both knew what the offer entailed, no nosy friends around and after seeing their reactions today at the gym... they could all use some more privacy. 

"Where in Europe?" - Myka askes after a few minutes of silent consideration. 

"Italy. Well... to be more specific, in the northern part of the country." - Helena said and silently prayed to every god in the universe for Myka to agree, her silence was making her more nervous than Artie's previous shouting.

"Okay." - The younger woman finally agreed, nodding her head slowly. 

"I can talk to Claudia to book us a flight for tomorrow?" - Helena asked hesitantly. 

"I should go pack, then." - Said Myka coldly and made her way upstairs. 

Helena was the only one left now still sitting on the couch in the living room.

A day ago, she was thinking how to make Myka talk to her and now she had thirty days to do that, even if the situation was delicate because their jobs were on the line as well, she couldn't bring herself to even consider not resolving the issue Myka seemed to have with her. 

 

 

 

*On the next day* 

 

 

The flight wasn't completely unpleasant, but sitting in one place for twelve hours wasn't Helena's favorite activity even though she made sure to bring her favorite book on board. Having Myka with her did improve her mood, but the younger woman was still seemingly angry at her so she was a rather silent companion, and so Helena was left in the suiting company of written words and fluffy clouds below her. 

Once they landed in Italy, the night was already tainting the sky in heavy dark colors and by the time the pair reached their destination, the stars were already shining brightly. 

The jetlag combined with the rather long drive made them both impatient to get there and not a moment too soon, Helena drove past a big hotel's gates, but didn't stop when she passed the main building. Another five minutes down the road and small houses started to appear around them, one turn left, two turns right and at the end of the street, Helena stopped the car in front of a two-story, minimalist style house with big windows and a rather large fenced front yard. The structure was painted in white and brown hues, gently mixing with the earthy atmosphere and the trees from the forest that surrounded it. 

"This is your house?" - Myka asked skeptically.

It was not a big house per se, but the distribution along with the front yard was spacious. Two floors with wide windows that ran from the ceiling to the floor, reflective of course, thus allowing privacy for the occupants and maximum natural sunlight all at the same time. On the first floor, the half-open patio ended with a garage for the car and even the trees surrounding the house looked like taken out of a magazine. Knowing Helena, Myka didn't expect a half unfinished shed in the woods, but this house obviously costs more than she can afford on a government salary.

"Yes, I know the design may not be to everyone's liking, but the interior is pretty nice I promise." - Helena said, nervously playing with her hands. 

"It looks amazing on the outside as well, but where did you find the money?" -Myka couldn't help but speak her curiosity even though it wasn't the most polite thing to say.

"As it turned out and thanks to Claudia's huge talent with computers, I was able to reclaim most of the Wells' benefits (both financial and physical). I had no use for the Paris house so I sold it and bought this one instead." - Helena said as she looked proudly at her new house. 

Paris was part of her past, a place she never wanted to return to, Italy was where this life had led her and hopefully where her future will be written. 

"So, Claudia knew all this time where you were?" - Myka asked carefully with an even tone.

"Not all the time no, I only contacted her a couple of times. Always through secure lines and never for more than 5 minutes, with of course no mention of my current whereabouts." - Helena added as if the last part was supposed to make Myka feel all better.

"Anyway, we should probably go inside and unpack, I don't think there's anything much to eat though except some snacks so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to go get some groceries." - Helena continued and Myka nodded, exiting the vehicle and going to the trunk to get their hand baggage first. 

Walking inside Myka found herself stepping through the door and almost directly into the living room. She was instantly fascinated with the numerous bookshelves in the living room and the comfy looking wooden furniture there. This room was painted in various shades of teal, royal blue and silver, decorated richly with silver ornaments like the countless bookshelves and the two sofas, and the coffee table, and even the paintings on the walls were inspired by this color combination... 

"Let me give you a quick tour and we can go take the rest of our stuff from the car." - Helen offered and Myka walked behind her. 

"I'm sure you already saw the living room/library. Most of the books are in Italian, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for you." -Helena smiled and Myka did too, her predisposition to languages never failed to impress and Helena never hid her admiration. 

"The kitchen is right through there." - She gestured with a hand to the other end of the house and proceeded to it. 

The kitchen was big and it had a large plot all along one of the walls where the oven was. One big glassy table on the other side of the room and six tall, black leather chairs around it. This room was painted in rich oranges and fresh yellows, sometimes even a bold red could be seen, but just like the living room, it had a lot of white thrown around as well. The detail that seemed very appealing to Myka was the high ceilings of the house, much higher than the ones in the B&B. 

"The bedrooms are upstairs." - Helen said and started going up the stairs. 

"The green one is mine, but if you prefer it, we can change. They are pretty much the same, only the distribution is different. Unfortunately, we are going to have to share a bathroom since the one in your room is unusable for the time being. Last year a pipe broke just before I left and I didn't have time to deal with it. I'll call someone to fix it on Monday." - Helena continued explaining as they stopped in front of Myka's room. 

"It's no problem. I don't mind sharing a bathroom. At least it's only us two and not five others like at the B&B." - Myka said and they both laughed.

"True. Peter takes forever." 

"Right! You'd think he's straightening his hair or something." 

"Now that you mentioned it, his hair does have that particular glow to it…" - Helena laughed. 

It felt good to laugh again, it felt good to laugh with Myka again, see those shimmering eyes and the curls bouncing softly... even for a moment.

The taller woman stepped into her assigned bedroom as Helena went to hers to leave the bags they were caring and that's when she saw the huge bed that called to her. There was only so much exhaustion the body could handle. 

Dropping the bag on the floor, Myka allowed herself a moment to sit on the bed, close her eyes and relax back a little bit. 

"Oh my god!" - she exclaimed as her eyes opened again. Of fucking course, Helena would have a glass roof in the bedrooms! 

If they were being honest, the fence around the already spacious yard of the house and the trees that surrounded them already provided enough privacy, but just in case she thought she should ask Helena how to activate the mechanism that served as a retractable solid wall for her roof.

 

When she managed to put her clothes into the exact order that they were in her drawers back in the B&B, she exited her bedroom. Myka noticed that hers was painted in violet and pale pink tones and Helena's was in green and turquoise hues, but apart from the colors, the picture of a lone stag amidst a field, surrounded by fog and the arrangement of the wardrobe, everything looked the same (down to the glass roof detail). 

 

"And where does this lead?" - Myka asked gently trying not to scare Helena since she had obviously not heard her approaching her bedroom. 

When Helena turned around, she found Myka pointing to the door at the end of the stairs on the first floor. 

"Ah, that's the door to the backyard; it has a decent view of the lake." - Helena said nonchalantly and Myka's curiosity pushed her towards the said door. 

"Oh my god!" - Myka spoke with wide open eyes, this exclamation was starting to sound repeatedly in her thoughts as Helena showed her the house.  

"A decent view?" - Myka couldn't help but ask as she opened the door of the house and found herself stepping directly on the grassy backyard, some 20 steps away from the lake. Said lake itself spread around for what seemed like miles and Myka's stunned expression made Helena glad she had decided on buying the house. The look on Myka's face was worth every penny.

"It's smaller than Baikal." - Helena tried and offered innocently.

"Not by much, I bet." - Myka said and walked outside to the shore of the lake. It stretched for at least three miles in each direction and its water was crystalline. 

"I can understand why you fell in love with this place. It's beautiful!" -Myka exclaimed and rushed to the water to dip her feet, missing Helena's next words. 

"Not nearly as much as you, my dear Myka." - She mumbled under her nose and went to join her companion.

The water was chilly, but neither minded it, it actually refreshed them a bit and when they got out, they went to get the rest of their stuff into the house.

 

_*an hour later when all the luggage was brought in and put in place*_

 

"Would you like something for dinner? The pantry is basically empty, but I'm sure we can improvise something with... sugar and... crackers?" - Helena said not believing her eyes as she looked around the mostly empty shelves. 

The only things that stood there were simply: a pack of salted crackers, a jar of sugar, salt, coffee, and tea. Taking a breath, Helena sighed, not even Gordon Ramsay* could do much with these ingredients. 

"I'm okay thanks, I ate too many Twizzlers on the plane and all the sugar is keeping me full now." - Myka declined politely. 

"I wouldn't mind getting a shower though." - Myka spoke again. 

"Yes, of course, go ahead. I'll stay here and make a list of some things to get from the grocery store tomorrow." - Helena said and Myka hesitated for a moment to go up.

"Okay well um... goodnight." - The younger woman said and went up the stairs, not really waiting for an answer. 

"Goodnight darling." - Mumbled Helena quietly to the empty room.

Myka could truthfully say that she had never had a more pleasant sleep until now, she had a huge bed all to herself (memory foam mattress that hugged her body and a fresh pine scent from the crack of her window filling her room would do that to a person). She felt more rested than in years, gone was the headache from the jetlag, now only her body ached from the fight with Helena from only a day ago. Her bruises were turning blue, but it would take a couple of days until they healed completely. 

However, working for the Warehouse had set her inner alarm to rise early in the mornings and today she woke up with a small satisfied smile on her face. 

After a moment, she got up and went to get ready for the day, smelling the signature earl grey blend, she made her way downstairs.

Heading right to the kitchen she expected to find Helena there, but surprisingly enough there was no trace of the brit. Myka saw that the coffee machine was already set up, she only had to turn it on and enjoy the rich smell of coffee filling the air. 

Taking one of the cups beside the sink, Myka poured herself some of the steaming dark liquid and made her way to the front porch. Seeing Helena softly inclined on one of the supporting beans of the house, she stopped for a second to appreciate the view. Dressed in a pair of classic denim jeans, a short sleeved t-shirt, a vest and with her hair tightly gathered in a ponytail, Helena was marveling at the slowly waking up world around her, breathing fully the crispy fresh air of the morning.

Regal was the only adjective adequate enough to describe Helena Wells. Without a doubt, characteristic of that famous aristocratic Victorian upbringing, Helena always looked serene, easeful, with the manners of a true lady, but her sharp mind shone just as brightly behind her warm eyes, those deep chocolate eyes that guarded carefully so many memories and hopes. She was the living embodiment of contradiction. Her stance was tall and proud, but her smile was gentle and inviting where her smirk was somehow provocative and innocent altogether. Most of the time she was quiet and pensive, her brain racing with new projects and ideas, only talking when she knew her contributions to the conversation were pertinent, but always ready to share a good laugh or throw a sarcastic remark or two. Her words were sharp and calibrated, but her voice was soft and careful with those she was fond of. As if she knew that she had that particular power, that with one sentence or perhaps a single word she could either make your day or break your soul. Elegant, refined, exquisite...regal. How could Myka not love such a thing? How could she not long for Helena's affections in return?

The brit was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Myka closing the door behind her. 

"Good morning." - Myka greeted her with a voice still raspy from sleep. To her surprise, Helena jumped startled but quickly laughed it off as she turned around, tensing just a bit when she saw Myka. 

Myka hated that, that feeling that they had to walk on eggshells around one another now and Helena hated how jumpy both of them had become, but they chose not to dress that issue at the moment. 

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" - Helena asked softly. 

"Yes, thank you. And you?" 

"Me too." - She said and an awkward silence filled the space between the two women.

"So, why did you decide to buy a house here?" - Asked Myka, trying to start some sort of a small talk or at least one that was relatively safe to talk about. 

Oh, how wrong she was though... at this point, there was no such things as safe subjects and sooner or later they would have to talk about the elephant in the room. 

"I came here during the first months of my "time away" from the Warehouse. It was supposed to be a place for me to just recharge my batteries for a couple of days, but I just fell in love with this place and ended up staying a couple of months instead." - Helena answered honestly. 

"I traveled a lot before I met Nate, but this place just took my breath away, so it wasn't hard for me to make a decision and buy the house I stayed in. Most people would probably prefer southern Italy, but I like the north with the mountains and the green all around."

"I can see the allure of the place" - said Myka absentmindedly as she took a careful look around her. It was a beautiful early morning, the sun was shining in the sky and the coffee in her hands was still scalding hot.

"Helena, there are things we should tal..." - Myka started but got interrupted.

"Eleena!" - Greeted loudly an elderly lady who was approaching enthusiastically from the spot they had parked their car. The woman was dressed in a light summer dress with bright rose flowers and had a huge smile on her face. By Myka's estimation, she must be in her late sixties, but she was in a rather good shape for her years. 

"Maria!" - Helena exclaimed and rushed to the woman. 

Maria was walking slowly down the path with a few bags from the grocery shop near the hotel.

"It's so good to see you again _cara_." - Maria spoke with a strong accent, but a soft smile while hugging the brit. 

" _Ti ho detto che tornerò_." - Helena spoke softly and Myka was amazed yet again by Helena's ability to speak Italian as if she did so her entire life. Taking the bags from the older woman, Helena and Maria made their way to the porch where Myka was sitting comfortably.

"Here take these, they are for you. And who's your friend _cara_?" - The woman asked as they stepped closer to Myka. 

"This is Myka, we are going to stay here for a little while." - Helena introduced them. 

"Oh splendid, you are just in time for our dinner. It is on Wednesday so you'll have enough time to unpack and get settled first. You will come, no?" - Maria asked them with a heavy accent and a smile that left no room for argument. 

Two days was enough time to overcome the jetlag from their trip and they didn't want to seem rude so when Helena looked at Myka with a question in her eyes, she nodded with smile and spoke charmingly. 

"We wouldn't miss it. Thank you." 

"It's settled then." - Maria spoke happily. 

"I should leave you two to your rest, you look like you haven't slept in ages." 

"Thank you for picking up these for us." - Helena said gesturing to the bags on the ground and Maria turned to walk back to her house. 

"No problem dear, I saw your lights yesterday night and I knew you had nothing in the pantry so I took the liberty of picking up a few basic things for you." - Maria smiled.

"Oh, you're a gift from the Gods Maria." - Helena joked and ran up to the woman to give her a quick hug. One of the best things about this community was how much people genuinely cared about one another.

"Ah Elena, I'll bring you some of your favorites later, my son came last week and brought me so much I don't know what to do with them." 

"Thank you, Maria, you're amazing." - Helena sent her a gratifying smile and the woman started walking away again. 

"Your favorites?" - Myka asked intrigued as soon as Maria was out of earshot.

"You'll see." - Helena winked and for some reason, Myka couldn't stop the chuckle in her voice. 

"Well, she certainly seems nice." - Myka said.

"She is. They all are. The people here are mostly retired couples, but they live very active lives. They even have a book club, a puppet theater, and pottery workshops." - Helena spoke and laughed at the memories from her last time here. 

"Myka... I... I know we have many things to talk about, but please can it wait until after the dinner on Wednesday. I am in no mood to have such an important conversation yet, we both have said stuff we do not mean, at least I hope so, so maybe we could just take a few days for ourselves and then talk. Just a few days’ time is all I'm asking." - Helena spoke suddenly very conscious of herself and even a little embarrassed. She was supposed to be a writer, but her words failed her when she was around Myka. 

Nevertheless, the younger woman knew what Helena meant, as much as she loved her Warehouse team, the B&B had almost no privacy and here it was just the two of them, without having to worry about who might hear them or stumble in the middle of... whatever would happen when they finally talked. The possibility of flying plates was just as big as the one where they both ended up laughing, so at this point, one could only guess.

"Come on then, if we're lucky to manage something to eat and not starve we can even have time to catch up on some reading." - Said Myka with a small nod and a shy smile.

She wasn't in the mood for another discussion either, they were both too tired and too stubborn for that one, so she just changed the subject with a slight smile on her face and Helena felt just a little more optimistic than before. Perhaps there was hope yet. 

The day following the crisp morning turned out to be a rather hot and sunny one. It was just little after eleven am that both women had done putting away their entire luggage. 

Having in mind that their bodies ached all over, neither was in the mood for anything that involved moving, so they decided to just stay at the house, eat orange jam sandwiches and use the time to catch up on some light reading. For Myka that was a reread of Jane Ear and Helena lost herself in the lost world of her good friend, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.) It was only a little after eight pm that their bellies grumbled loudly l, reminding them it was time to eat something. 

"Okay, so I should probably tell you now that I don't really know what I'm doing." - Myka admitted shyly as the pair walked into the kitchen.

"You've never made spaghetti?" - asked Helena unable to contain her chuckle.

"I've made noodles, but there the only part required from you was to add boiling water, so doesn't really count as a homemade meal right? Plus, I don't really have the time to cook with all the Warehouse traveling and inventory days, thank God for Leena." - Myka said now feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Righty-ho then, let's begin, we'll do it together. First, put the water to boil." - Helena instructed and Myka followed diligently. 

"Thank you, darling. Now, move over to the chair here." - Continued Helena, without noticing Myka's smile at the term of endearment, guiding her to the chair on the side of the kitchen bar they were currently standing by. 

"And take this." - Said Helena with a smile and handed Myka a glass of white, ice cold, Lambrusco

"Aand that's it." - Helena smiled. 

"I don't see how this..." - Myka gestured to her state.

"...classifies as making dinner." 

"That's because I am making dinner and you provide the pleasant conversation." - Helena smirked at her.

"I'm not completely useless in the kitchen you know." - Myka argued with a smile. 

"Such vile thoughts never crossed my mind, scout's honor. I simply do not wish to end up having another jam sandwich or worse, Twizzlers for dinner is all. Tomorrow, we'll start your culinary education with making French toast for breakfast." - Helena laughed and nudged Myka gently.

"You were never a scout." -Myka scoffed after a moment when her sentence registered fully in her mind. 

"Semantics, daring." - Helena waved off her last comment with a laugh.

 

_TBC…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translations as promised: cara- term of endearment, something like sweetheart. 
> 
> Ti ho detto che tornerò – I told you I will come back (return). 
> 
> In my imagination, I pictured Helena’s house somewhere in Valle d’Aosta region (https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=valle+d%27aosta&chips=q:valle+d%27aosta,g_2:italy&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigrYDuu5jdAhXTTcAKHSq8CVAQ4lYIKygB&biw=1536&bih=728&dpr=1.25#imgrc=rWaM6BUPqZOcEM: )  
> Keep in mind the lake picture, it will be important for the next part! 
> 
> And to help you a bit with the house, I was picturing something like this (https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=minimalist+houses+design&chips=q:minimalist+houses+design,g_7:modernist&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDlYS6vJjdAhVHgVwKHSNRDscQ4lYINSgB&biw=1536&bih=728&dpr=1.25#imgrc=GKzuagxS1XIu5M: ) BUT without the pool.  
> And that’s it for now, I will add more side notes with the next chapter. As always, the characters are not mine, the locations are mostly imagined and the story is partially inspired on some of my personal experiences.


	3. Ali di libertà

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter’s name is “Ali di Libertà” and is more of a symbolic nature because our two agents find themselves free for the first time in a long while and now we’ll see where the “wings of freedom” will take them.  
> Hey guys, one more thing, I know this wonderful fandom is not as active as it used to be, but I could really use a comment or two from you (I am so grateful for the kudos as well). I want to hear if you like the story so far and have in mind that this was the penultimate chapter so we are finally at the point where will see how and if our favorite agents will come out of this or not… also to make things more interesting. I’ll give you a spoiler of what’s ahead, someone will die… don’t rely on the tags for a clue. Enjoy!

As it turned out, Helena had quite the talent in the kitchen, their dinner resulted delicious and Myka briefly wondered how many times Helena had practiced the recipe before, but finally (and surprisingly enough) all the cooking shows Helena had been watching paid off… They ate on the kitchen table, sharing a comfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by a question about the house and the area. Sometimes the silence between them was most comforting and even relaxing to just enjoy each other’s company, other times… it was a torturous nightmare.

“I spoke with the plumber earlier.” – Helena spoke and Myka looked up from her plate.

“I am sorry, but they said it would be impossible to come fix it until next week at the earliest.” – She continued talking carefully.

“That’s okay. We are managing for now, I mean your bathroom is big enough and the hot water isn’t a problem either so yeah…” – Myka really didn’t mind sharing a bathroom with Helena especially after the brit went to shower and left the door opened afterward, the whole house smelled of her citrus shampoo.

“So, should we bring something for the dinner Wednesday night?” – Myka asked.

“Well, usually everyone just brings something little to the table and we order pizza from the hotel. It’s just a gathering between friends, everyone sits together and talk, we laugh a lot. You know, sometimes some of the neighbors even sing and dance, Giorgio has a nice stereo system so he usually sets it up as well. I had such a wonderful time the last time I was here Myka, these people are so positive and eager to live life as intensely and as much as they possibly can.” – Helena spoke with a smile.

“That’s nice to hear, usually, the elderly are grumpy and nihilistic.”

“Maybe, but not these people. Only Flavio and Carina are from this region, everyone else came here at one point of their lives from other parts of Italy, but it is incredible to see how each of them carries their own roots into the company. Their age unites them, almost all of them have children and grandchildren, some are on good terms with them, others are not, but they all have had similar experiences.” – Helena talked while Myka marveled at how involuntary, but passionately Helena’s eyes were shining. It was as if she was truly talking about some friends of hers and not people thirty - ish years her seniors.

“I like it here, the people are a good company to be around… and technically they are much closer to my age than everyone else back in the Warehouse so…” – Helena tried to make light of the situation, but Myka felt something inside her urging her to speak.

“You know, biologically speaking, your cells haven’t degenerated from the bronzing. Your body continued aging normally once you were de bronzed too so, you’re not much older than I am.” – Myka rationalized.

“Sometimes it feels like I have been alive forever.” – Helena said and her voice trailed off, betraying her despairing thoughts.

Myka took both of their empty plates and left them in the sink, ready to be washed in a moment and slowly walked towards Helena, standing in front of her.

“Hey, I know you spent many decades in a horrible state of consciousness while unable to move, but you changed the rules to the game Helena. You found a way to cheat time itself, the bronzer was your time machine and I for one am glad to have the chance to have you near now.” – Myka spoke with such confidence that Helena forgot where they were and everything surrounding them, the only thing that existed at this moment were Myka’s hands on her neck, urging her gently to look into those warm whiskey eyes of hers. How could Myka still think so much of her after… after everything? Perhaps she should start thinking about forgiving herself too, if Myka could forgive her, perhaps… perhaps she could too. 

And right then and there, Helena moved just a little bit closer to Myka, waiting, praying hopelessly to every known god that Myka would follow and the moment she did, Helena could almost feel the burning sensation of Myka’s lips on hers when the American broke the moment and took a step back.

Deep inside her, Helena knew it would’ve been a mistake to kiss Myka, but her mind was clouded enough with desire that a tiny, almost inaudible whimper escaped her lips when she felt cold air on the place where Myka’s hands were only mere seconds ago.

“I, umm… I will clean the dishes, you did the cooking after all so it’s only fair.” – Myka said a little awkward as she walked back to the sink again.

“It’s okay, I can wash them too.” – She needed to have her hands occupied, or she feared she would walk back to Myka and pull her closer again, letting their lips do the talking for her.

“I wasn’t raised in a cave, Helena. You can make us a tea if you want.” – Myka said with a slight smile and Helena was glad she was offered the chance of distraction.

“Deal.”

After that little mishap, their evening continued rather uneventfully. While Myka and Helena were in the US the physical contact between them was basically nonexistent, but lately, it was getting more and more difficult to resist it and small, only occasional and brief touches started between them. For both women it was easier to communicate without worrying about how the team, Artie, Mrs. Fredrick or some regent come for a “routine” inspection might interpret their interactions.

Helena made them a cup of tea and Myka was incredibly glad for the honey Maria had brought them. Both women were seated comfortably in the living room, Myka was reading some of the books they had gathered previously on the table between the sofas and Helena was scribbling something in a journal. The brit didn’t own a television since she didn’t really spend that much time here and truth be told, she enjoyed the silence and the opportunity to spend some time with her thoughts.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” – Helena asked Myka after she scratched enthusiastically something on the paper.

“Well, I was thinking about going for a run in the morning, you know get to know the area a little bit. You are welcome to join me if you want.” – Said Myka as she looked up.

“Would you like to go for a hike instead? There is a wonderful trail half an hour from here, I will be happy to show it to you, if you would like of course?” – Helena asked a little more eager than she intended to.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that.” – Myka said happily. She was beginning to enjoy herself and why shouldn’t she?

After that brief conversation, a silence engulfed them again and Helena’s pencil scratching on the paper was the only sound that filled the room.

“Are you writing a story?” – Myka asked intrigued.

“I… am trying to, but the words just… don’t sound right, don’t click together.” – Helena confessed with a concentrated look on her face.

“Keep writing, it doesn’t matter if you feel it’s off, just don’t stop.” – Myka offered with an encouraging smile.

“It might take a while, but I am sure, you’ll make them sound right again.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps I just lost my “touch” as they say.” – Helena spoke and Myka put her book down to look better at Helena.

“I refuse to believe that, you are the woman who invented intricate worlds and wrote about time travelers and invisible men, you, Miss Wells are the reason millions of children discovered what imagination meant and how inspiring a simple event can be. So, just keep writing, the words will come if you don’t abandon the passion.” – Myka spoke from her seat and Helena only nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

However, opposite to their plans, Monday was spent lazing around the house because it rained and so their hiking was moved to Tuesday. Myka enjoyed immensely the natureof the mountain forests, she has always been an outdoorsy person and Helena turned out to be a wonderful guide along the trail, she would share curious facts about a plant or of the region as if she had lived here for years.

_*Wednesday*_

Another beautiful day began, with the sun high in the sky, Helena decided to finally get up and found the house empty.

“Myka?” – She shouted, still sleepy, a strange fear began creeping slowly up her spine. Myka was nowhere in the house and after searching the front yard she walked back in the house, completely bewildered.

“Hey, what’s up?” – Suddenly a calm voice asked from the kitchen, but how had she not seen her there before?

“Myka! I thought you…” – But before Helena could finish, Myka interrupted her.

“I was in the back yard, I got up early and didn’t feel up for a run so I just grabbed a book and sat outside, you have an amazing view of the lake and this book has me enthralled. I ran out of coffee though.” – Myka said with a goofy smile while putting the book she was holding on the table, completely unaware of the relief that appeared in Helena’s eyes.  

“Well you are in luck, I was just about to make me some tea, I don’t mind making you some coffee as well.” – Helena offered, completely ignoring the happiness she felt as Myka admitted to be enjoying her time there.

“Oh you don’t have to, I’m sure you have other stuff to do.” – Myka tried to sound nonchalant.

“I know the agony it causes to leave a good book just a few pages shy of finishing it.” – Helena said with a smirk as she eyed the place Myka had marked in her book and continued.

“I have nothing urgent to do today, but to actually enjoy the day so seriously go and finish that book, I know your fingers itch to pick it up again.” – Helena smiled and readied the coffee pot.

“I thought you’d know.” – Myka winked playfully and they both laughed at the memory that brought. 

  
Maria knocked on their door at around six- thirty pm. and they happily went outside to help with the setting of the tables that were already assembled.   
It was the typical summer night, soft breeze whizzed throughout the land, but the memories from the sunny day still lingered behind, keeping the air hot from where the bright sunrays were ravaging the earth only hours ago.

In the spacious clearing between the houses there were three tables put in an imperfect, half-open circle. The hotel lights from the next hill were shining brightly, separating the woods into two dimensions, one filled with light and noise and the other immersed into soundless darkness, a mass of blackness and scary sounds, but tonight the atmosphere around Helena's house was so festive that nobody paid attention to it.

  
"Where do you want this one Maria?" - Myka asked as she and Helena carried over the second table from Marco's house.

  
"Just put it next to the wooden chairs, everyone except for Michele and Cinzia is coming tonight, so we'll need all the chairs as well.” – Maria added with a happy smile.  

  
The preparations took around an hour and people gradually joined them. Mattia and Laura had brought the wine, gladly explaining that they had a good year and their grapevines had given a lot of fruit.   
Rosa was the sweet old lady who lived alone since her husband died, fifteen years ago, who had baked the typical Italian _ciambella_ and the crowd applauded her efforts, it did smell mouthwatering because of the baked almonds she had used. Myka could hardly wait for their pizza to arrive and eat it so she could try the dessert. Lucca appeared with bottle openers and once everyone's glass was filled with wine, Rosa passed around a piece of her dessert as well when it tuned out that nobody was willing to wait until after dinner to try it. True to her predictions, the _ciambella_ was delicious, sweet and crumbly, with just a hint of vanilla behind a bolder scent of almonds that combined with the fruity notes of the rose and everyone indulged in this heavenly combination while they were mingling around, talking with the rest of the neighbors.

  
"I don't understand, is it some kind of celebration day here or what?" -Myka asked still a bit confused when she saw the colored flags above their heads.

  
"Officially, no, but we like to celebrate as much as we can dear." - Said Maria from behind them after she had heard Myka's question.

  
"You see, we are not as young as we once were." - Maria continued, ushering them to find their seats on the table.

  
"Hey, speak for yourself, I'm as good as the next thirty year old youngster." - Said Giorgio indignantly, he had just finished putting all the chairs in their places whilst telling a story from his war days. His bold head reflected the lights that were hung around for the occasion.  

  
"Maybe in your dreams _caro_ , but don't worry at least you're still as handsome as you were the day we met." - Maria laughed and Giorgio pulled her closer for a sweet kiss on the cheek.   
Myka wasn't a prude, she didn't mind seeing other people's affections displayed, but something inside her tugged at her stomach.

In all honesty, she was envious of what Giorgio and Maria had. She was envious of how effortlessly he pulled his wife closer and shared a moment of sheer happiness. She was envious of the fact that they had lived a long and happy life together.  
Giorgio had Maria and even though neither knew how long they had left, they savored each second of their time together, whilst she had Helena so close to her and yet so far away.

  
"Come on _belle_ , let's sit, Margarita and Giuseppe are bringing the pizzas in a moment." - Maria said and ushered them towards their seats once more.   
When everyone had sat down and had another glass of white wine in front of them, their ordered pizza arrived.   
"It looks delicious, Maria" - Myka observed as she was passed the box with her order.  
"The hotel's restaurant has some great pizza chefs, try it and tell me what you think." - The Italian woman smiled invitingly.   
Myka took one piece of her pizza " _Capricciosa_ " as per Helena’s recommended choice and took a bite. A small moan escaped her lips, as she tasted all the ingredients, melting in her mouth. It was the best pizza she had ever eaten. Extremely thin, unlike the usual American variant and the crust was puffy and deliciously crunchy, each bite tasted addicting.

  
"Valentina, did you see the new episode of Temptation Island? Mauro said his "flute" was 38cm!" - Giorgio said scandalized.

Everyone had been eating their pizza and talking between them, but Giorgio seemed like the glue of the group and unconsciously everyone paid attention to him and everything he was saying, not to mention that all these people were very passionate about their TV programs.

  
"Oh come on Giorgi, you're exaggerating!" - Laura said loudly from the other end of the table.

  
"No, no. I'm telling you, it's the truth!"

  
"That's just preposterous and if it is true, it's unnatural!" - Valentina didn't back off.

  
"Ok, Wikipedia, how much do you think can qualify as natural?" - Giorgio asked laughing.  
Myka and Helena's cheeks were tainted with small hints of red and both doubted their language skills at that particular moment.

  
"Helena, do they um... are they talking about what I think they're talking?" - Myka asked shyly.

  
"Mm... yes, i believe they are" - Helena managed to say just, feeling just a tad embarrassed.   
"I haven't exactly measured every man you know, I lost my virginity to my husband at seventeen and I've been with him ever since!" - Laura stated proudly and everyone at the table laughed.

  
Maria saw how Myka and Helena were looking at each other and laughing at how at ease all these people around them were feeling. Maybe it was a side effect from having too much cake dipped in red wine, or maybe it was the surroundings, but one thing was for sure true, the elderly people around them had even more desire to live and laugh than most thirty somethings from back home.

  
"I'm sorry if you're embarrassed _cara_ , but you know, we, Europeans are much more relaxed when talking about sex." - Maria said with a good-natured laugh.

  
"And besides this reality TV show is pretty popular now. The contestants, both male and female, are all rather good looking." - Lucca added with a smirk.

  
The pizzas were delicious, extremely thin and savory while the crust was shallow and crunchy... the perfect balance, but they were in Italy after all.

  
After everyone ate their dinner, making small talk and laughing together, the best part of the night itself began.  
In a matter of moments the space was filled with elderly couples from the rest of the houses, save for one family that had gone to the seaside for the weekend to spend some time with the grandchildren, consisted of every member that lived there.

  
Bottle after bottle of red wine were passed around the table and everyone enjoyed the dinner. However, the interesting thing happened when another round of desserts were taken out. Suddenly, another pair of elderly ladies brought over cups of homemade peach mousse and small donut like things.

  
"Dear God, how much food is there going to be tonight? I only have one stomach and these look amazing, although what are these exactly?" - Asked Myka as she saw Helena getting a cup of the mousse for herself and one mouth watering piece of filled peach shaped donut thing.

  
"This is mousse made from white peaches and almonds, the aroma comes from the almonds crushed on top, and there is also some of the nut that's inside the peach." - Explained Helena and took her spoon ready to dig in.

  
"But, isn't that poisonous?" - Myka asked alarmed.

  
"Only if you eat too much of it. The dose on these is harmless and you would need to eat at least forty of those to feel even a bit dizzy.“

Taking a scoop from the mouse, Helena let slip a soft moan, almost imperceptible, but to Myka's ears was anything but.   
The British woman loved the white peaches and this was the only place where they didn't taste sour.

"I thought you preferred apples." - Said Myka slightly surprised.

  
"Ah I love the smell of apples, but white peaches are my favorites, without a doubt. " - Myka smiled and cut a piece of her dessert with her fork. The faint vanilla scent pleasantly tickled her senses and she slowly took the piece to her mouth, Helena watching closely her reaction.

  
"Okay... and what about those?" - Myka asked as she poked the donut like stuff on her plate.

  
"That's called " _babà_ " and traditionally it's only made in Bologna, but lucky for us Lia is from there and she makes them every year. It's something like a donut filled with cream and syrup. It's very good." - Helena said with an encouraging smile and handed one to Myka to try.

  
"Mmm..." - Myka only managed to smile happily and close her eyes for a second. The taste was divine. The cream melted in her mouth and the texture of the dough was like nothing she had ever tried before.

  
"Told you it was good." - Helena smirked at her.

  
"Do you want to um... switch? I love it, but my hair is curly enough, if I finish it I will not be able to brush my hair for a week." - Myka said and Helena laughed.

  
Tonight was turning out to be pretty good.  After dinner, everyone cleared the tables and threw away everything since it was made of plastic or carton, well except their glasses.

  
"Luca! _Vai_!" - Maria shouted at a man from the next table who was sweet-talking an elderly red head.

  
"I'm going, I'm going!" - He shouted back and with a charming smile took the red head's hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed her gently before he made an attempt to run to his house.

  
Luca was a big, chubby Italian, partially bald from the passing of the years, but extremely charming. His equivalent of running was walking rather quickly, his tempo filled with eagerness, with his hands moving to an accentuated rhythm as he tried to keep his balance, almost like a penguin. Luca waived at another man, much shorter and with white hair to accompany him.

  
"And now, is time for some fun!" - Another man's voice announced from the improvised little stage they had set up.

  
Luca and his friend had just returned to the tables, each carrying four more bottles of icy cold _prosecco_ and the rest of the people cheered. Giorgio's eyes shined with mischief and he quickly took one of the bottles and opened it.

  
"This first bottle is in honor of our guests, _chin chin_!" - Giorgio declared with a big smile.

  
" _Salute_!" - Everyone around the tables cheered.

  
Maria's sister, Fina, was in charge of making sure every glass was full with the wonderful bubbly drink.   
It wasn't until soft music started floating through the air that Helena and Myka saw Maria and Giorgio on the stage, with microphones in their hands.   
The melody seemed joyous, hopeful, Maria started singing with a smile and Giorgio twirled her slowly.   
  
_Come vorrei, vorrei volerti meno  
  
come si fa? Bella come sei.  
  
Come si fa! Con quel cuore che hai…_  
  
The song encompassed them, the lyrics registered in their minds and Helena looked tentatively with the corner of her eyes at Myka, she couldn't stop herself. The song was too beautiful and the moment felt just right to steal a glance of the younger woman.   
  
_Che lo voglia o no?_  
  
Ho voglia sempre voglia di te  
  
Maria and Giorgio kept singing, but both Myka and Helena acted as if they didn't understand the lyrics. As if these words didn't make their hands burn with desire to hold each other, as if this song didn't make their hearts beat a little bit faster, as if the melody didn’t incite them to taste the sweet wine from each other's lips...

  
The night was filled with a lot more singing and drinking, and surprisingly with a lot of dancing. The greatest Italian hits of the 50's, 60's and even 70's sounded during the night.  
Suddenly, when some polka sounded from the speakers Myka and Helena felt as if they were surrounded by peers and not elderly people. The agents witnessed the moment that playful, mischievous spark, appeared in the dancing couple's eyes. Those smiles that adorned the faces of the people around them, the smiles that reflected decades of affection and love were brighter than usual. The lines on their foreheads and cheeks disappeared. There wasn't a single person that wasn't dancing (except Myka and Helena who insisted that they didn't know how to dance polka, which was true, but it was also an excuse), some slower than others and only rocking back and forth, but still moving around.   
It was around midnight that the last playful notes sounded.

  
"Wow so much energy!" - Lia had gone up the stage as the people dancing around stopped to take a break.

  
" _Ragazzi_ , we have one more song for tonight, but I want you _all_ on your feet." - She said and looked conspicuously at Maria who walked directly at the two women that were still sitting in their chairs, laughing and watching the people around them dance.

  
"Come on you two, up!" - Maria came to them and dragged them by their hands to the space where they all danced.

  
"But we..." - Helena started to protest, but Maria interrupted her quickly.

  
"No, no. The last song is not polka, don't worry, just hold her like that." - The Italian woman said and shoved Helena closer to Myka, awkwardly putting their hands around each other, urging them to dance with the rest of the couples around them.   
  
_Com'è cominciata io non saprei_

_la storia infinita con te_

_che sei diventata la mia Lei_

_di tutta una vita per me._

  
The slow dancing was something neither woman had done recently. Myka from her prom and Helena from a hundred years ago. Helena tried desperately to look anywhere but at Myka's eyes and Myka could feel Helena's hands on her leaving fiery imprints behind, fighting her instinct to give into the closeness. Her rational mind was telling her to get as far away as possible from her fellow agent in that moment, but Myka didn't want to cause a scene and seem rude, so she just continued slowly swinging to the music and smiling politely until the song ended and everyone started getting ready to go back to their houses.

  
"Elena! We are so glad you two joined us tonight." - Maria spoke to her.

  
"The pleasure was all ours Maria." - She replied curtly.

  
"Ah we will repeat then, yes?" - Giorgio asked Myka with a mischievous smile as if their plan was to steal cookies from the jar.

  
"Absolutely!" - She said with an exaggerated smile, but with a sincere tone.

  
"It was a great night, thank you. We'll see you tomorrow." - Helena excused herself and Myka and turned back to walk to her house.

  
The walk back to Helena´s house was a quiet affair, Myka's thoughts were still lingering to the moments when Helena had her arms around her and that song… while Helena's mind was struggling not to overthink the situation, it was just a dance after all… right?

  
"I'm beat, I think I´ll head up to bed." - Myka said, trying to hide a yawn once they made their way passed the front door, not waiting for the uncomfortable silence to set between them.

  
"I know the feeling, I'm going to skip reading tonight." - Helena said as they climbed the stairs.

  
"Well..." - Helena spoke as they reached the second floor and had to part ways since their bedrooms were in opposite directions.

  
"I will... see you tomorrow then." - She spoke unsure, as if Myka would decide to take her suitcase and leave tonight.

  
Was she supposed to say something else? Or perhaps do something like kiss her cheek or maybe even fist bump Myka to convey how glad she was that she was there with her? They weren’t on a date, but they weren’t out on a mission either… XXI-st century was confusing, so Helena opted to just do nothing instead and head to her room with an itchy palm on her hand, a hand that wanted to bury itself in Myka's soft curls and bring her lips closer to Helena's while softly just massaging the other woman's scalp.

  
"Good night Helena." - Myka spoke, internally equally puzzled at the situation as Helena, but she kept her exterior clear of doubts and even though she stayed a moment longer (hoping that Helena would do something or say something more) she turned around to her own bedroom and closed the door behind her.

 

_TBC_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I’m so glad to be able to post again! Basically, the story continues, but I’ll provide some quick cultural notes (just in case). One sure thing I discovered is that elderly people in Italy do love to get together for dinners and stuff. There is also some prejudiced and stereotyped opinion against the elderly people, but I am well aware there are many, many exceptions to it. The italic writing is in Italian, but it’s basically just terms of endearment. “Sempre sempre” is a song from the incredibly famous duo Al Bano and Romina Power (I grew up listening to them and seriously they are amazing!) “Piu bella cosa” is a great song from Eros Ramazzotti, here are some links with the English translations: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/sempre-sempre-always-always.html , https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Piu-bella-cosa-Piu-bella-cosa.html


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